Wash-board



(No Model.) H. LAPHAM.

WASH BOARD.

No. 452,884. Patented May 26,1891.

* Wade flJM A TTORNEY.

INITE STATES rant Fr es.

JOSEPH II. LAPHAM, OF CLEVELAND, OIIIO.

WASH-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 452,884, dated May 26,1891.

Application filed December 19, 1890. Serial No. 375276. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH I-I. LAPHAM, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county ofOuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Wash Boards; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention relates to wash-boardsg and the invention consists in awash-board provided with a ribbed base, preferably of wood, and havingseparate strips of metal secured upon the top exposed port-ion of theribs, substantially as shown and described, and particularly pointed outin the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front view of my improvedform of washboard with a portion broken away at the right to disclosethe relation of the parts in the rabbet formed in the side of the frame.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the wash-board. Fig. 3 is across-section of a rib, showing the slots therein for the metal strip.

A represents the sides of the frame formed with rabbets a on their inneropposed sides, in which is secured the ribbed base B, made preferably ina single piece, although it may be made in two or more pieces. Thispiece or part B has the usual transverse ribs b, common in wash-boards,and of about the usual size and depth. The present invention consists inproviding these ribs with metallic rubbing-surfaces along their topedges,while over the remainder of the rib the wooden surface is exposed,as before. To this end I out two parallel slots or grooves b in each riblongitudinally from end to end at either side of its cent-er and down toabout the base of the rib, or to sufficient depth to properly secure thestrips. These slots or grooves are made very narrow, so that they willbe completely filled by the metal which occupies them and,when made asshown, leave a tongue 6 between them, which serves as a central supportfor the metal and assists in keeping it in position, as Well as thepossible passage of moisture from one slot to the other. This beingdone, I fashion strips of sheet-zinc into substantially U form, as shownat c, or into the other form, (shown at c,) in which the sides of thestrip 0 are spread or flared somewhat at the bottoms, the slots in thisinstance, of course, diverging correspondingly from top to bottom.Either form or its equivalent may be used, and in any case the saidstrips are firmly fastened down in position attheircnds in the rabbets ain the sides of the frame, the over projecting portions a of the saidside pieces bearing upon the strips 0. The ends of the strip 0furthermore fit tightly in the sides of the side pieces A,so that nomoisture can get within or beneath the said strips at this point, whilealong their opposite sides they fit snugly in the grooves or slots, sothat water is wholly excluded from the inside of the strips. This isimportant, as otherwise there would be an accumulation of moisturewithin which would corrode the metal and rot the wood, as well as anaccumulation of dirt, which would in time give an offensive odor to theboard. By this construction I am enabled to use a board of comparativelycheap wood, because it is not subjected to any use or wear in rubbing,and can also greatly economize in metal by protecting only the exposedpart of the board exposed to rubbing, and leaving the balance uncovered.It will be seen that the strips 0 are made of sheet metal, say of theusual zinc plate, bent into the desired shape.

I am aware that it. is not broadly new to provide wooden ribs ofwash-boards with metallic facing on their top rubbing-surfacesuch, forexample, as pieces or sections of wire laid in grooves in the ribs; butthis construction was found objectionable because the Wire worked looseand allowed Water and dirt to settle in the space about its sides andbeneath in the groove, where the moisture was slow to dry andcomparatively soon rendered the board unserviceable. By my constructionno moisture can work in beneath the metal strip.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- In awash-board, the rubbing-board B,having a series of transverse ribs, each having two longitudinal slotstherein forming in \Vitness my hand to the foregoing speeifitongue alongthe center thereof, and a metal cation this 11th day of December, 1890.strip '0, covering said tongue, but leaving the i sides of the ribexposed, in combination with JOSEPH H. LAPHAM. the side pieces AA,overlapping the edges of \Vitnesses:

the rubbing-board to hold the metal strip U. L. MCLANE,

down in position, substantially as described. R. B. MOSER.

